Change Stories Project

We were really pleased with the positive response from parents who we asked to be involved in telling their child's story.

Based on the results of our phone survey, Te Whanau Kotahi and Dr. Annick Janson of Ecosynergy Ltd planned 2 parent workshops in September 2013 as well as video interviews. These workshops were designed to underpin and stretch the learning from our face to face sessions as well as share with parents who could not attend.

Te Whanau Kotahi ran the families leadership development programme as part of the Disability Workforce Development initiative administered by Te Pou. The programme included a range of storytelling situations culminating in parents’ sharing stories of change. The following displays a selection of these interviews how families build sustainable leadership to advocate for and enable a good life for their children. The themes emerging thus far from interview analyses are:

Self leadership

Bank on your child’s most important advocate - you!
Take care of yourself and your core relationships
Find out unique information
Identify your fears [what stops you from taking action?]
Appreciate the gifts and talents of one’s child